At The Stroke Of Midnight
by Dream Of Rose Petals
Summary: At the stroke of midnight, the spell on the carriage was broken, when Haruhi fled into the night with a broken heart, taking a huge secret with her. Tamaki is determined to find her, and the truth behind a photo at Ryoji "Ranka" Fujioka's apartment.
1. The Last Wilting Rose

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, Bisco Hatori does.

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><p><strong>1<strong>

The Last Wilting Rose

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><p><em>"At the stroke of midnight, the carriage always turns back into a pumpkin. That night, when the spell broke on our own carriage, will remain in all of our thoughts, reminding us of what we took for granted."<em>

On the last night that Haruhi Fujioka spent, with the host club boys, was the celebration of her school graduation. There was no longer a secret to keep, and much to Tamaki's delight, she could dress like a girl. The long gown, that made her look most radiant, was of the faintest lavender. That night, the celebration was a elegant ball, at the home of Tamaki Suou, Haruhi's long term boyfriend.

"Tamaki, I have something to tell you," Haruhi whispered.

Tamaki couldn't hear her properly, because of the music. "Haruhi..." he whispered.

"Tamaki, I..." The rest of what Haruhi said, was drowned out by the sound of all the other guests clapping at the end of the song.

"I love you, to," Tamaki said, assuming that as what she had said.

For now, Haruhi decided to leave it at that, she knew that he probably hadn't heard what she had said. When they where alone, she would tell him again. At the end of the song, Tamaki and Haruhi parted ways. Tamaki had to speak to his father, and Haruhi wanted to check the buffet. After actually tasting fancy tuna, she had actually taken quite a liking to it. Honey was also at the buffet table, holding his beloved Usa-chan, trying to decide what cake he wanted. He was still just a small as he was, when they were back in high school.

"Hi, Haru-chan!" Honey said, with a extra cute smile. "Having fun?"

"Hi, Honey," Haruhi replied, smiling in return. "I am. I thought I would see if there was any fancy tuna."

"There is! Kyo-chan and Tama-chan made sure there would be," Honey replied. He pointed right at the plate, containing Haruhi's favourite, fancy tuna.

Haruhi ate some fancy tuna, talked to Honey some more, then headed out of the ballroom. She was sure that Tamaki hadn't returned to the ballroom, or he would have requested another dance, like he promised. Down the hallway, in the dark corridor, Haruhi could see a door partially open at the very end. It was only open a tiny crack, but that was open enough, for her to hear voices in that room. Normally, she would have walked away, but she heard Tamaki's voice. She tip-toed down the corridor, and peeked into the room, through the crack in the door. Haruhi took a step back, and held her hand over her mouth to stop her from gasping. A single tear fell from her eyes.

That, was the last time she saw Tamaki Suou, because she fled into the night, not leaving a single thing behind, save for one: the rose he had given her at the start of the ball. It now lay on the patio, wilting, and the last symbol of what was once their love.

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><p>Three Years Later<p>

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><p>"I'm sorry, Dad, I'm not ready to come home yet..." Haruhi replied, her voice full of anguish.<p>

"Ok, Dear, but remember I'm here if you need me," Ryoji Fujioka said, his voice full of concern for his only daughter.

"I know..." Haruhi replied.

"I'll call you next week."

When Haruhi put the phone down, she wanted to cry. All she had thought about, was that night at the ball, it flashed through her mind, on a continuous loop. Her heart ached, because she had offered her heart to the man she loved, and in turn had her heart handed back to her broken. She hadn't spoken to any of the boys, since that night. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Kyoya, Mori, Honey, Hikaru & Kaoru, it was that she just wasn't ready to face them yet. Her moment of anguish was broken, by the sound of a girl calling her.

"Maa..." A golden haired toddler called, as she proudly walked into the room grasping a handful of crayons.

"Aya, have you drawn me a picture again?" Haruhi asked.

The golden haired girl, Aya, nodded her head. Her eyes resembled Haruhi's, they had the same soft chocolate brown colour. Aya's hair was long and wavy, falling to her elbows in length.

"Did you draw it on the wall?" Haruhi asked. She forced a smile, when the toddler nodded her head again. "Let's go get the camera..." Haruhi said, with fake niceness.

Haruhi walked back into the living room, with little Aya, to retrieve the camera from the closet. She loved her little girl greatly, but sometimes, little Aya just didn't know when to behave. Haruhi pretended to be happy, as she took pictures of the drawing of a squiggly shape, that Aya claimed was "Maa" and the one next to it was "Ryaaa." Ryaa was Haruhi's father, Ryoji, but Aya was too young to be able to pronounce his name. Haruhi thought that Aya's misbehaving, was probably because she was in that 'terrible twos' phase.

"Maa... hungy..." Aya said, once Haruhi had taken a photo of the drawings on the wall.

"Well, I'll just have to make you something to eat, then won't I?" Haruhi replied.

Haruhi walked back into the kitchen, to make something for her daughter to eat. She made two bowls of tempura rice for herself, and Aya. The mother and daughter sat at the table in the living room, to eat their dinner. They had a low table, just like the one that was in the Fujioka apartment, when Haruhi still lived with her father. Ryoji still lived in the same apartment, and often wished Haruhi would come home. After the two of them had eaten, Haruhi had to clean the drawing off the wall, while Aya rummaged around in the closet, playing dress up with whatever items of clothing she could find of Haruhi's. There was a box of old clothes, that either had a small hole in them, or had gotten a bleach stain on, that Haruhi had given Aya to use, for something to wear during painting, so she wouldn't ruin her own clothes, or play dress up with.

"Maa! Me, you!" Aya shouted.

Aya was wearing one of Haruhi's dress tops, with a small bleach stain on the front - the stain was barely noticeable, one of Haruhi's old socks on her left foot - the other had gone missing somewhere. The dress to was much to long for her, and she kept stepping on it, and tripping over.

"It's like looking in the mirror!" Haruhi told her, much to Aya's delight.

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><p><strong>AN**: I'm dedicating this one to a very close friend of mine, that always puts up with my OHSHC obsession, and reads my stories without protest. She's the coolest person I know.

This one, I really enjoyed writing. I got the idea totally randomly, and just had to write it. That being said, the only thing I own is the plot, and Aya. :P


	2. The Prince's Quest

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, Bisco Hatori does.

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><p><strong>2<strong>

The Prince's Quest

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><p>When Haruhi tucked Aya into bed, on the toddler's futon, the golden haired toddler asked her mother the same question as she did every night; "Maa... Daa story?" Aya would often ask about her dad, even though she didn't fully understand what a dad was, other than the fact that she knew Haruhi had one.<p>

"Of course!" Haruhi replied. Each night, she would tell Aya the same story, the one of the day Haruhi told Tamaki that she loved him.

_There once was a handsome prince, the most handsomest man in all the land. Despite his handsomeness, he had a heart of pure gold. He was always quick to jump to aid of anyone, often saying that it was his job to make every guest to the kingdom happy. But, the wicked witch, his own grandmother, had told him that he couldn't see his friends anymore._

_So, his friends came to his aid, to rescue him, including the shadow knight, the cute ninja, the stoic knight, the twin jesters, and a maiden dressed in men's garb. The maiden had fallen in love with the prince, and she knew he felt the same. Along with her friend's help, the maiden broke into the castle, to rescue the prince. The wicked witch wasn't so wicked, you see, once the prince's father was now king, the witch had nothing to do during the day. She had heard the melody of the prince playing the piano, and it softened her cold heart. Allowing herself to get to know the prince, she realised that he wasn't as wicked as she thought, even found that she had some things in common with him._

_She released the prince, so he could go see the queen - his mother, that was leaving the kingdom to return to her own kingdom. With the help of all of their friends, that they had made in the kingdom, the prince and the maiden made it to the airport in time, to see the queen. Afterwards, the maiden confessed her love for the prince._

"Happy ever after?" Aya asked, like she did each night.

"Yes," Haruhi lied.

By the end of the story, Aya usually forgot that she had asked for a story about her father, and always wanted to know if they had a happily ever after, like the princes and princesses in her story books.

Aya smiled. "Love you," she muttered before falling asleep.

"Love you," Haruhi replied. She kissed her daughter on the forehead.

...

The golden haired princely boy, Tamaki, was awake at the crack of dawn. He had dreamt of Haruhi again last night, they were at a ball, and Haruhi disappeared into the crowd. Tamaki woke up screaming her name. All of the house servants were worried about him, he was like a ghost, enduring each day, refusing to move on. Every couple of days, he would call Kyoya, to see if he had found anything. Kyoya had not. He was just as in the dark to where Haruhi was, as Tamaki. Some of the other hosts had carried on with their lives, but still thought of Haruhi from time to time.

After breakfast, Tamaki headed to Ootori residence, hoping to see Kyoya, but he was turned away, because Kyoya was at work. Because of his excellent book keeping and leadership of the host club, his father had made not only handed management of the health & relaxation facilities, but also gave him the job as the hospital's finance book keeper. Kyoya was quite good at it, because he would take into consideration each person's preferences.

That evening, Tamaki returned, and was lead directly to Kyoya's room. Kyoya was going over some possible blue prints for the remodeling of the swimming pool.

"Kyoya," Tamaki said, as soon as he laid eyes on the former shadow king.

"I haven't found any information on Haruhi's whereabouts," Kyoya said at once, anticipating what Tamaki might say next.

"I wasn't going to ask that," Tamaki replied. He sat down on the sofa, without invitation.

"Then what is it?" Kyoya demanded. "Some of us have a business to run."

"I wondered, would you come with me to Ranka's apartment?" Tamaki said.

"And, why would I do that?" Kyoya replied, seeing no reason to go there.

"I thought, that if anyone knew where Haruhi was, then it would be him. He doesn't exactly like me, so I wondered if you would come with me?" Tamaki even flashed Kyoya the puppy dog eyes.

Unable to resist them, Kyoya said, "if I'm not busy."

Tamaki yapped with joy, like always did, when he got his own way.

...

Haruhi was awake early, because she had to not only get herself ready, but also get Aya ready to. Like every week day morning, Haruhi would drop off Aya at daycare, and go to work. Haruhi was working in a law firm, but not as the lawyer that she dreamed of being, as a office assistant, which meant she was in charge of making coffee, photocopying documents, and taking the verbal abuse of stressed out lawyers, that needed someone to vent on.

"This is not good enough, Haruhi! I asked you to print ten copies on white paper, and 10 copies on beige! Can't you just once do what I ask you to do?" one of the lawyers, Akimi, shouted. She had all twenty copies in her hands. There wasn't any beige paper in the office, Akimi was just going through a very stressful case, where a couple was getting divorced. Instead of shouting at the client, and getting sacked, she shouted at Haruhi instead for no reason.

"I'm sorry, Akimi-sama, I will gladly redo them," Haruhi said, like always.

"No, it's alright, I'll use them for now, but do better next time," Akimi replied. She walked back to her office, massaging her forehead.

Haruhi continued with the photocopying, she had three reports to photocopy, and one court case minutes to make thirty copies of. Once she was done with that, she had to make the lunch run, by collecting some money from the receptionist, and going out and getting lunch for everyone. It was a job that she would love to quit from, but she needed the job to support herself and Aya, it also gave her a possible opportunity of working her way up to lawyer within the company.

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><p><strong>AN**: For Kyoya's job, I was talking about the place the host club visit in Jungle Pool SOS.


	3. My New Bestfriend Is Umachan

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, Bisco Hatori does.

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><p><strong>3<strong>

My New Bestfriend Is Uma-chan

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><p>Haruhi had a very stressful afternoon, the photocopier had ran out of toner, and she had to rush out to office supplies store to buy some. Only good thing about it, was that she had seen a new toy store, that she planned on taking Aya to, when she collected her daughter from daycare. The store was named Bun Bun Garden, judging by what Haruhi saw through the window, they sold plushies, and outfits for the plushie toys. Haruhi was shouted at by two lawyers, and the receptionist, which she took the abuse with a smile.<p>

When Haruhi collected Aya from daycare, she was presented with a picture that the adorable toddler had drawn. Haruhi looked at it, and smiled. There was a white scribble that took up a third of the pink page, a yellow scribble that looked like it was riding the white scribble, with a brown scribble also sat on the white one.

"That is beautiful!" Haruhi said, with a smile.

"Maa and Pwince, on hworse!" Aya told Haruhi, assuming that her mother knew that already.

"You like horses, doing you?" Haruhi asked. Of course, she knew the answer, but she couldn't out right tell Aya that they was going to a toy store. Haruhi smiled, when Aya nodded her head.

Haruhi took Aya to the store, and looked in the window, to act like she had no intention of going inside. Aya looked up at the toys in the window with awe, they all looked so beautiful. She had never received a plushie before, because her mother could never afford it.

"That one pwetty!" Aya said, pointing at a white horse plushie.

"It is, isn't it?" Haruhi said, knowing that her daughter would pick that one. "Why don't we going inside, and see if one of the horses will make friends with you?"

"Yeah!" The toddler said, excitedly.

The mother and daughter walked into the store, inside, it looked like a garden. All the carpets were green, with little flower pictures on it, there was a play area near the window, with tables and chairs that looked like flowers. There was even bumble bee and humming bird toys hanging from the ceiling. Haruhi let go of Aya's hand.

"Why don't you see if you can find a horse to make friends with, and I'll look in the back, ok?" Haruhi asked.

Aya didn't respond, she ran into the play area, to see if she could find the one she saw in the window. That was the one she wanted to make friends with, she wasn't interested in anything else. But, she couldn't see it, or reach it. At that time, the owner of the store franchise, and the supply company, Mitsukuni Haninozuka, was visiting the store today. He carried his beloved Usa-chan, and was easily mistaken for a child.

"What are you looking for?" Honey asked Aya.

"Hworse!" Aya said, pointing at the window display.

"I think we have one in the back," Honey replied.

"Noo! That one!" Aya said, sounding quite bratty.

Honey smiled, because he thought she was so cute, and he could understand, he wouldn't trade Usa-chan for anyone. "Could you hold my friend for me? I'll get it for you," Honey said, holding out Usa-chan.

Aya accepted the bunny, and held him as carefully as she could, while Honey reached into the display, to retrieve the white horse. Seeing Usa-chan through the eyes of a child (and Honey), she saw him as a real bunny.

"What's your name?" she asked the bunny. Of course he didn't say a word.

"His name is Usa-chan," Honey said, when he returned with the horse plushie.

They swapped plushies, Aya hugged her new bestfriend. "Uma-chan!" Aya decided. She had learned about horses today, the woman at the daycare had told her that horses were called "uma."

"They can be friends!" Honey said, making Usa-chan hold out his arm.

"Yeah!" Aya said. She held out Uma-chan's front leg, the same size as Usa-chan. They made the two plushies shake hands.

"What's your name?" Honey asked.

"Aya," the golden haired toddler replied. She then hugged her new best friend, Uma-chan.

"Honey," Honey said, knowing that she probably couldn't say his first name.

Aya smiled at him, then she had to go show Uma-chan to her mum. She said goodbye to Honey, then ran around the store, until she found Haruhi.

"I got Uma-chan!" Aya said, showing the horse to Haruhi.

Haruhi brought Uma-chan for Aya, because the little girl deserved it. The only gifts that Aya ever got, was from her birthday, Christmas, and that time when her grandfather came for a visit. Aya proudly carried the plushie all the way home, like it was the greatest treasure in the world. Even at dinner, Aya sat Uma-chan next to her, and asked Haruhi to put out a plate for Uma-chan. Haruhi placed a empty bowl in front of Uma-chan.

"No food!" Aya said, looking into the empty bowl, frowning.

"It's special horse food, that only Uma-chan can see," Haruhi told her. Haruhi then put two bowls of noodles on the table, one for herself and one for Aya.

...

"Kyoya..." Tamaki said, his voice filled with self doubt. "Am I really doing the right thing?"

"Of course you are," Kyoya said. He actually did think so, because he also wanted to see Haruhi.

Tamaki knocked on the door of the small apartment, his heart beating faster and faster. His palms started sweating, he actually considered giving up and going home. Ryoji didn't look to happy to see Tamaki, when he answered the door. The expression on his face was if someone had gotten the stinkiest cheese ever and slapped it right in Ryoji's face. Ryoji wasn't wearing any women's clothing, he was wearing his sweatpants, and the tshirt Haruhi had gotten him years ago, for father's day, his hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, he had shaved already.

"What do you want, Suou?" Ryoji snapped.

"To see Haruhi," Tamaki replied, nervously.

"She doesn't want to see you, so get..." Ryoji shouted. He then noticed that Kyoya was stood beside Tamaki. "Oh, hi Kyoya!" he added, with a friendly tone. Which was drastically different to how he spoke to Tamaki, his facial expression was even friendlier.

"Good to see you again, Ranka," Kyoya replied, with a smile. "We did come to ask if you had contact with Haruhi, because we are worried about her."

"Sorry, Kyoya, but she doesn't want to see any of you. You know what Haruhi is like, once she sets her mind on something," Ryoji replied.

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><p><strong>AN**: Ok, the story is getting to the huge spoiler in the summary. Sorry about that spoiler, it really was the best summary I could think of, and it's so hard to think of summaries for stories.

Thank you so much for everyone that reviewed, it was a very nice surprise for me, when I logged on this morning, to see that I had some reviews so soon. :D Thanks again, and I'm glad each one of you read my story. Also, thank you to the people that read and not reviewed, I'd love to see what you think.


	4. The Child In The Photo

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, Bisco Hatori does.

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><p><strong>4<strong>

The Child In The Photo

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><p>After dinner, while Haruhi cleaned the apartment, she left Aya to play with her new plushie. Aya made him run on the table, then across the tatami mat floor. The golden haired toddler soon got bored, so she headed into the kitchen, to see what Haruhi was doing. Haruhi was wiping the counters, while listening to the radio. It was one of those talk shows, where they had information about current affairs, things in the newspapers, that sort of thing.<p>

"New friend!" Aya said, tugging on her mother's apron.

"I know, Aya, Uma-chan," Haruhi replied. She then moved to near the sink, to wash the dishes.

"Nuu! Other!" Aya said, as she tugged on her mother's apron again.

"Who's that?" Haruhi asked. She thought it would possibly be a new child at the day care.

"Honee!" Aya said. She couldn't quite pronounce Honey yet. "And, Usa-chan."

Haruhi froze when she heard 'Usa-chan.' "It couldn't be.." Haruhi thought.

"Can go toy shop morrow?" Aya asked.

Haruhi would have responded, but she heard something on the radio that caught her interest. "Toy shop tycoon, Mitsukuni Haninozuka, is currently going through a lawsuit with a competing toy company, that stole a design for one of Haninozuka's products. Haninozuka owns the Honey Co toy company, and the chain of Bun Bun Garden stores. His lawyer, Takashi Morinozuka, agreed to speak with us, interview would be are at 10."

Haruhi dropped one of the plates into the sink, smashing it. "No!" Haruhi snapped. She then shouted, "Now, go play!

Aya let go of Haruhi's apron in shock, Haruhi had never shouted at her before. Her lip trembling, tears falling from her eyes. She ran into the living room crying, then shut herself in the closet. Aya sat in the dark closet, her knees resting under her chin, holding Uma-chan with one arm, and sucking her thumb on the other hand. Haruhi instantly felt guilty for snapping at her daughter, because it wasn't Aya that she was really mad at.

Haruhi gently knocked on the closet door. "Aya, I'm sorry, please come out," Haruhi said, her voice sounding soft.

"Go way!" Aya yelled. Then promptly stuffed her thumb back in her mouth.

Haruhi carefully slid the closet door open, then sat beside Aya, she tried to hug the little girl, but Aya wasn't co-operating. Aya refused to move, and even turned her head away from Haruhi. But, she did co-operate, when Haruhi tickled her, and the little girl started giggling.

"I'm sorry," Haruhi said, before kissing Aya on the cheek.

...

"Sorry to disturb you like this, Ranka," Kyoya said, when Ryoji let them in.

Ryoji, Tamaki and Kyoya were sat at the low table, with cups of tea in front of them, that Ryoji had made. Naturally, Ryoji had made the exact kind of tea Kyoya wanted, but because Tamaki opened his mouth, and said he wanted sugar in his tea, he didn't get it.

"No problem, Kyoya, I get so few visitors now," Ryoji said. He then giggle playfully.

"Isn't there anything that you could tell us?" Kyoya asked. He then drank some of his tea.

"Sorry, Haruhi was quite stubborn on the matter," Ryoji replied. He did want to tell Kyoya, but he couldn't go against his daughter's wishes.

"All of us do care about her, and would like to keep in contact," Kyoya said. He was trying to think of a way that he could get the information out of Ryoji, but not seem like a interrogation.

"I love Haruhi!" Tamaki said, stupidly opening his mouth.

Ryoji grabbed hold of Tamaki's cheek. "What do you mean, you love her? Because of you, I haven't seen my precious daughter in person for nearly a year! You have no idea what I'm going through!" Ryoji shouted.

"Ranka... that's my face..." Tamaki pleaded.

"Don't think because you're handsome, that I'm going to forgive you!" Ryoji continued. He then let go of Tamaki's face, and pointed right at him. "This is all your fault!"

Tamaki would have sulked in the corner, but he saw something on the shelf that made his heart skip a beat. It was a picture of Haruhi, holding a little girl. The girl had Haruhi's eyes, and golden hair, and was wearing a party hat. He removed the framed photo from the shelf, to get a closer look.

"Ranka, who is the little girl in this?" Tamaki asked, as he turned around to show Ranka the photo.

"None of your business!" Ryoji snapped.

As soon as Kyoya saw the photo, a glint of light flashed across his glasses, as he pushed them further up his nose. He knew exactly how he could find Haruhi. Tamaki sulked for most of the visit, but he couldn't get the image of that child out of his mind. When Tamaki and Kyoya left, Ryoji saw them out.

"I apologise for taking up so much of your time, Ranka, and I wish you all of the best," Kyoya said, at the doorway of the Fujioka residence.

"No problem, Kyoya, don't be a stranger now," Ryoji said, making sure to ignore Tamaki.

When Kyoya and Tamaki got into the car, they both put their seatbelts on. Kyoya smirked, because with out realising it, Ryoji had given him all the answers he needed. Ryoji hadn't mentioned the child at all, which surely, a photo of a child, that Ryoji kept in a frame should mean something to him. About anything else, Ryoji would dismiss Tamaki, then tell Kyoya, but not about the mysterious child.

"To the hospital," Kyoya instructed the driver.

"Why the hospital, are you sick?" Tamaki asked, his voice filled with confusion.

"Just shut up, I'll explain when we get there," Kyoya replied, in a snappy way. Kyoya removed his cellphone from his pocket, he had some urgent phone calls to make.

...

After being tucked into bed, instead of asking for her usual story, Aya asked for one about horses. Haruhi invented a story about a heroic horse, that saved a princess, which seemed to please the toddler. When Aya had fallen asleep, Haruhi headed into the kitchen, to call her father.

"Dad, I know we only spoke yesterday..." Haruhi began, but was interupted by Ryoji.

"Haruhi!" Ryoji said, his voice filled with delight. "You know I'm always happy to speak to you!"

"Could you spend the day with Aya, tomorrow?" Haruhi asked.

"Of course! I'll come around and pick her up around seven?" Ryoji said, taking into consideration, that Haruhi had to be at work for nine in the morning.

"Thanks. I just have one condition, don't let any of them know you've got her," Haruhi said. 'Them' meant her former fellow hosts.

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><p><strong>AN**: Got to love Ranka/Ryoji! The whole time I was writing this chapter, I imagined Ryoji/Ranka's voice as how it is in the English dub. His voice actor is great, and so suits him. Now, we are finally at the spoiler free part of the story now.

Thank you so much to readers and reviewers, you're all awesome! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll be sure to get the next one up soon. If any of you have any ideas on how Aya could accidently meet Hikaru and Kaoru, I'd love to see it, because I'm kinda stumped there. Also, if there are any nonhosts that you'd like to see in here, you know where the review button is! Be sure to tell me, because OHSHC has so many great characters, it would be awesome to see what happened to all of them. I'm not limiting to the anime, so manga exclusives are accepted to.


	5. Young Maiden, So Fair

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, Bisco Hatori does.

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><p><strong>5<strong>

Young Maiden, So Fair

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><p>Kyoya didn't say another word until they arrived at the hospital, even then, it was a simple command, telling him to stay in the lobby. The bespeckled man entered the lift, with all intention of going to the archive room. No one could stop him from doing so, because his family had as good as raised the hospital from the ground. The office was empty, when he entered it, he was glad about that, because he didn't have to deal with anyone.<p>

"Fujioka... Fujioka..." Kyoya muttered, as he looked through the draw marked 'F.' He found Fujioka, Kotoko, so he knew he was on the right track. "Fujioka, Ryoji... Fujika, Haruhi," Kyoya muttered, as he checked each file. "Well, I'll be..." he said, as he removed one file from the draw: Fujioka, Aya Kotoko.

...

"Morning Haruhi!" Ryoji said, when Haruhi opened the door.

Haruhi smiled at the sight of her father, she hadn't seen him in a while. She'd almost forgotten how convincing he looked, when he dressed as a woman.

"Morning, Dad," Haruhi replied. She sounded like she was half asleep.

"You don't sound to good, you should get some rest, Sweetie, we don't want you getting ill now, do we?" Ryoji said, sounding concerned.

"I'd love to rest, but I have so much work to do. The other assistant quit, so I'm working for two," Haruhi replied.

Aya ran into the kitchen holding Uma-chan, with a big smile on her face. "Ryaa!" she cheered at the sight of him. The only reason Aya knew who he was, was because Haruhi had shown her pictures of him.

"Aya!" Ryoji replied, sounding equally happy. He swept her up into a hug.

"I packed everything she'll need into this bag," Haruhi said, as she handed the bag to Ryoji. "If anything happens, this is my work's number." She removed a piece of paper from her pocket, with her work's number on it. "I usually get home around seven."

"Don't worry! Everything will be fine," Ryoji reassured. "Won't it?" He asked the toddler.

"Yeah!" Aya agreed.

Ryoji carried Aya out on to the balcony, carrying the bag of things Haruhi had given him. "Say goodbye to Mummy, Aya."

"Bye!" Aya said, waving her hand.

"Bye," Haruhi said, to both of them.

"Have a good day at work," Ryoji said.

As Ryoji walked down the stairs, Haruhi shouted, "Don't spend too much money on her!"

It was unclear whether he genuinely didn't hear her, or didn't want to hear her. Either way, he didn't respond to that. Ryoji wasn't known for being good with money, since he used to spend money on cute clothes, that Haruhi never wore, when she was younger. Because he didn't have a car, they had to get the bus, so he took Aya to the bus stop. He was so proud of how adorable she was, that he told everyone he saw, that she was his granddaughter. Aya just loved the attention.

At the bus stop, Ryoji sat down, but he let her play with Uma-chan, as long as she didn't leave the bus stop area. She walked over to the poster board, there was a picture on it of a woman with olive coloured eyes, and short brown hair. The woman was dressed as a prince, posing with a woman with longer wavy light brown hair.

"Ryaa!" she said, while she pointed at the poster.

"The big letters say, "A Maiden In Love"," Ryoji told her, while looking at the poster. "The smaller words say, "Starring Benio Amakusa and Chizuru Maihara."

"What it?" Aya asked.

Ryoji pulled her up onto her lap, because the bus stop was starting to fill up now. "It's a show, where people act out a story," Ryoji explained.

"Go see!" Aya said, excitedly.

"Of course! This is our day," Ryoji said, happily. He was actually glad that he got to spend the day with her, because it reminded him of when Haruhi was this age. He used to take her and Kotoko to shows as often as he could.

On the bus, Aya got so excited, she could barely keep still. She'd never been on a bus before, so everything seemed exciting to her. A kind old lady smiled at her, and gave her some candy, she then told Ryoji that she was just adorable, then assumed that she was his daughter. Ryoji kindly corrected her, and talked to the old lady all the way to the stop they had to get off at. When walking along the pavement or walking across streets, Ryoji wouldn't let go of Aya's hand. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself, if he let something happen to her.

"How about, we go to a toy store, and you can pick something for you and Uma-chan?" Ryoji suggested. The toddler couldn't speak, her cheek was bulging with the candy the old lady had given her, so she simply nodded her head - her mouth curving into a smile. "Great! I think there is a Bun Bun Garden around here."

Ryoji took her to a toy store, and brought a ballerina out fit for Uma-chan, with two pairs of ballerina shoes, so there was a shoe for each hoof. Then after that, they went to a sweet shop, and got plenty of sweets for the both of them. After that, because Ryoji thought Aya deserved a cute outfit to match Uma-chan's, he got her a ballerina outfit, with matching ballerina shoes, and a plastic tiara. Ryoji then took her to the theatre, so they could see A Maiden In Love.

There was a few tickets left, and they were good seats to. So, Ryoji brought two tickets. Their seats were near the front, and Aya got a booster seat, so she could see the stage properly. Aya really enjoyed the show, she even clapped when the prince slayed a dragon to save the princess. At the end of the show, the leading actresses, and one of the other actresses, Hinako Tsuwabuki, were doing an autograph signing, for people in the audience.

Aya tried to get close to them, to get a signed picture, but other people kept getting in her way. By the time she managed to squeeze to the front, Chizuru and Hinaku had left. Benio was still signing autographs, she smiled at the sight of her. Benio knelt down, and placed her hand under Aya's chin, lifting the toddler's chin slightly, so she could get a look at Aya's face.

"What a beautiful young maiden," Benio said, looking right into Aya's chocolate brown eyes. Benio was reminded of Haruhi's eyes right away. "A heart so pure, uncorrupted by the hands of men..."

Ryoji managed to shove his way to the front, to get to Aya. Of course, he knew who Benio was, because he remembered that day he and the host club had to got to Lobelia Girl's Academy, to rescue Haruhi from their grasp. Benio however, did not recognise Ryoji, because she had never seen him in women's clothing.

"What is your name, young maiden?" Benio asked Aya.

"Aya!" Aya told her. She held up Uma-chan. "This Uma-chan."

Benio laughed, because Aya was just adorable. "You must be our most youngest and most adorable fan," Benio said.

"Aya is just crazy about you, she cheered for you all the way through the fight scene," Ryoji said.

"Is that right?" Benio asked. Aya nodded her head. "How about we get you an autograph from Chizuru and Hinako too?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Had to add the Zuka club here, because I just love them, and no one really writes then in a good way that often.

And, thanks so much to Glass O'Lemonade for the ideas you suggested. I'd forgotten about their grandmother! I checked my manga books again, to see her and she was one of my favourite minor characters. You gave me a great idea, not exactly the same. So, thank you so much for that. :D In answer to your question, the reason that Haruhi doesn't want Honey to know, is because she doesn't want any of the hosts to tell Tamaki about Aya, so she just broke off all contact with them to. I could just imagine them all telling Tamaki, if they knew.

So, enjoy this chapter to. I hope it doesn't totally suck.


	6. Meeting The Twins

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, Bisco Hatori does.

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><p><strong>6<strong>

Meeting The Twins

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><p>Benio lead Aya and Ryoji to the dressing rooms in the back, so she could meet the other stars. Aya and Ryoji had to wait in a room, that they used especially for fans meeting the stars. Ryoji had to go to the bathroom, to touch up his make up, so he left Aya alone. She promised not to run off, or leave the room. Aya could hear someone talking outside, but she promised her grandfather that she wouldn't leave the room, so she couldn't go see who it was. Luckily for her, both of the men came into the room, they were twins, both red heads, with golden eyes ablaze with mischief.<p>

"Hikaru, we're here to do a job. We have to make sure all the costumes are right, for mother, and make flower arrangements for the stage," Kaoru Hitachiin informed his brother. "As much as I'd love to prank them for old time's sake, we can't do it."

"Why not? Kaoru, you've gotten soft. We used to love pranking Lobelia, remember?" Hikaru Hitachiin reminded him.

"Yeah, well, that was before..." Kaoru replied. He looked distant, while he remembered that night, when Haruhi ran out onto the Suou mansion patio, never to be seen again. He then noticed Aya sat there watching. "What's your name, kid?"

"Aya!" Aya said, happily.

"Probably another one to meet the..." Hikaru said. He rolled his eyes, when he said "stars."

"I'm Kaoru," Kaoru said, being politer than his reckless brother. "This is Hikaru."

The twins heard someone shouting their names, so they had to leave. When Ryoji returned, he seemed relieved that Aya hadn't left her seat.

"So, what did I miss?" Ryoji asked, as he sat down next to his granddaughter.

"Hikaa and Kowu!" Aya told him.

When Benio returned with Chizuru and Hinako, they all fawned over how adorably cute Aya was, and how maidenly pure her eyes were. They each signed a photo for Aya, and gave Ryoji some extra tickets for the shows, for if Aya wanted to see the show again. By the time the grandfather and granddaughter pair left the theatre, Aya was very hungry, so Ryoji took her to a cafe, to get something to eat. He let her order what ever she wanted, and got her some ice cream for desert.

Ryoji couldn't resist taking her clothes shopping, so she could have even more cute outfits. By the time Ryoji dropped Aya off, the bag was bulging with stuff.

"Did you have a fun day, Aya?" Haruhi asked.

"Yeah!" Aya told her.

The toddler ran into the living room, to collect her crayons. She wanted to draw a picture of the prince fighting the dragon. Haruhi opened the bag, to unpack it, and was incredibly shocked by all the stuff they had brought back with them.

"Dad!" Haruhi said loudly.

When she turned around, Ryoji wasn't there, but the front door was open. She stepped out onto the balcony, Ryoji was already down on the pavement.

"By Sweetie! Call you next week!" Ryoji called up to her, whilst waving. He then chortled, before heading off to get the bus home.

Haruhi sighed. Well, there was nothing she could do about it, she knew that her father was bad with money, when she let him take care of Aya for the day. She sighed, then returned to the apartment. Judging by the crayons littering the tatami mat in the living room, Aya was drawing on the wall again.

"Aya, are you hungry?" Haruhi asked.

"Nuu!" Aya shouted back.

Haruhi was glad that Ryoji and Aya had gotten something to eat on their day out. She made herself something to eat, Haruhi made some kayu for Aya, in case Aya got hungry anyway. Some soba noodles, with some kushikatsu as the main. It wasn't until Haruhi sat down at the low table, that Haruhi saw the picture that Aya had drawn on the wall. Haruhi resisted the temptation to groan, because she would have to clean that up.

"Aya, why don't you use the drawing pads you got for Christmas?" Haruhi asked.

"Wall better," Aya replied, as she finished drawing identical orange scribbles.

When she moved away, to finish the dragon, Haruhi nearly choked on her soba noodles. No, it couldn't possibly be who she thought it was, it had to be her imagination.

"Who's that Aya," Haruhi said, as she pointed at the identical orange squiggles.

"Hikaa and Kowu," Aya replied.

Then, Haruhi did choke on her noodles. She coughed to clear her throat. "You mean... Hikaru and Kaoru?" Haruhi asked. She secretly wanted her daughter to say no, and it be someone else. When Aya nodded her head, Haruhi felt all the colour drain out of her face. Yesterday, it was Honey, today, Hikaru and Kaoru... her past was catching up with her daughter. Judging by the autographed photos in Aya's bag, she had also met the Lobelia girls.

When Aya was done with her picture, she did eat the kayu, because she was only a little hungry. Haruhi took a photo of the picture on the wall, when they were done eating. She had to give Aya a bath, and dry her hair, before putting Aya to bed. Haruhi decided to wait until tomorrow, to clean Aya's latest masterpeice off the wall. There would be plenty of time, because she didn't have to go to work tomorrow, because most of the main lawyers would be in court. She wouldn't be needed in the office.

Before going to sleep, Haruhi did clean the kitchen, then have a bath herself. She had almost forgotten what it was like to have time to herself. Having Aya wasn't a mistake, and she would never regret that ever. Aya was the happy little light, in her otherwise stressful life. From time to time, Haruhi did wonder if things had been different, would Aya have been the same? She would have probably married Tamaki, Aya would probably have everything she could ever want and more. But, she wouldn't be the Aya that she loved and cared for. Because, Aya would have been taught etiquette and proper behaviour, often forced to do different hobbies, to see where her tallents lay. Instead of a carefree toddler that loved to draw on the wall, and follow her mother around the kitchen, or even play dress up with Haruhi's old clothes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: I might not be able to get a chapter up tomorrow, I've got a really important appointment to attend. So, that gives you two days to let me know which of the follow characters you would like to see Aya meeting next: Mori, Nekozawa, Kirimi Nekozawa, or Renge. I can't fit them all into one chapter, so let me know which two you'd like to see get a little mentioning or appearance first.

To, geekisthenewawesome, I never thought of that! I had no idea how they were all going to figure out who Aya actaully was. I like that idea! That would be a really cool idea, if it was just like Haruhi's girl secret being found out. So, thank you for that. :D

Hikaru and Kaoru's appearence was a take on Glass O'Lemonade reminding me about Hikaru and Kaoru's talent on flower arranging, it wasn't exactly the same. I always thought that they would end up in fashion like their mother, and maybe they would advertise their designs through theatre shows, so that's how they are back stage in this story.


	7. As Simple As A Can Of Soda

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, Bisco Hatori does.

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><p><strong>7<strong>

As Simple As A Can Of Soda

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><p>When Haruhi packed Aya's backpack with her lunch, which was last night's leftovers, Haruhi found a permission slip, for a day trip to the hospital. The day trip involved a tour of the hospital - not going on the actual wards of course, and some possible freebies. The freebies would of course be band-aids, and notebooks with a picture of the hospital's slogan on it. She thought that would be a good idea, so she signed the slip so Aya could go.<p>

It didn't take them long to walk to the daycare, the bus was outside the building. Aya gave the daycare woman her permission slip, then waved goodbye to Haruhi, who smiled and waved back. Haruhi felt guilty about dropping Aya off at daycare, when she did have a day off. But, she hadn't had time to herself in so long, that she had almost forgotten what it was like, to go somewhere that wasn't work, without Aya following her. She would get Aya a present of course, to compensate.

First Haruhi decided to go to the nearby supermarket, it was supposed to be having a sale on. Haruhi thought it would be a good idea, to stock up on things. She didn't want to find out half way through the week, that she'd run out of something important.

At that moment, Honey was browsing the cake isle. He was only there, because going to a commoner's supermarket reminded him of Haruhi, so once a week, he would go to a commoner's supermarket, and buy a cake. The former lolita boy selected a cake, strawberry, then walked down the isle to pay. He noticed a familiar woman, when she turned around, a smile spread across his face.

"Haru-chan!" Honey shouted with delight.

Haruhi wasn't expecting to see Honey, let alone hear him shout his nickname for her across the shop. She nearly dropped her basket, she was that shocked. Haruhi turned around, and hurried up the isle, hoping to lose him in the fruit isle, but she had no luck, Honey ran after her.

"Where are you going, Haru-chan?" Honey shouted after her.

Realising that she wouldn't be able to escape him, she stopped. "Hey, Honey," she said, with a slightly low tone.

"Wow, Haru-chan! It is you!" Honey said, with a big cute smile on his face. He looked right into her chocolate brown eyes, his own eyes widened. "Aww..." He said, his voice filled with an amazed tone. _'Aya-chan...'_ he thought.

...

Before the tour, the children had to wait in the lobby, for the nurse that was going to show them around to finish taking care of a patient. Aya held Uma-chan, and walked around the lobby, smiling at people. The old ladies cooed about how adorable she was, one or two pinched her cheek affectionately. Near the vending machine was a very tall man, Takashi Morinozuka, he looked like a giant to Aya. Mori had one arm in a sling, and he was holding a bag with the other. The tall man looked like he was having difficulty, because one of his arms was in a sling, and a bag in the other, he couldn't retrieve his drink.

Aya walked over to him, dropped Uma-chan on the floor, then reached into the slot and removed his drink. She held it out for him to take, then, she realised that there was the same problem as before. Mori smiled, and pressed the button to get another. Aya collected that one for him to. Then Mori walked over to a nearby seat, Aya grabbed Uma-chan with her free hand, and pulled the plushie over to Mori. Once he put the bag down on the seat next to him, the guy only took one can from her. Aya held out the remaining can.

"Keep it, as thanks," Mori said. He had a deep, but friendly voice.

"Thank yuu, sir!" Aya said, with a smile on her face. She climbed up onto the seat next to him, he opened the can for her so she could drink it.

"You can call me Mori," Mori told her.

"Aya!" Aya replied. Aya looked at his arm, she wondered why it needed a bandage like that. "How?"

"Kendo accident," Mori replied.

...

"Why didn't you tell us, Haru-chan?" Honey asked.

The two them had gone into a cafe, to catch up. Even though Haruhi wished that she had run faster, she was still glad to see him. She had missed her friends, it wasn't their fault for what Tamaki had done.

"Because, I can't forgive Tamaki," Haruhi replied. Haruhi paused for a moment, she thought of the night she left the ballroom, and peeped into that room down the corridor.

"We all miss you very much," Honey said. He looked at Haruhi for a few moments, to him, it felt like she had never left them.

"I miss you guys to, all of you," Haruhi replied. She remembered the day they first met, back then, she never would have imagined that they would end up being such close friends. "Even Tamaki, sometimes." Then she thought of the day she told Tamaki that she loved him.

"I should call everyone, and we can all eat some cake!" Honey said, excitedly. He removed his phone from his pocket, but just as Honey started to dial the number, Haruhi stood up to leave. "Haru-chan, where are you going?"

"Honey, I don't think I can face the others yet," Haruhi said. She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Don't tell the others, promise?"

"I promise," Honey replied.

Haruhi had to leave, because she had to take all of her shopping home. She put all the food away in the fridge, or the cupboard, depending on where they needed to be stored. It didn't take her too long to wash Aya's drawing off the wall, she had taken a photo of it before she cleaned it. Haruhi spent the entire afternoon reading a book. She didn't have to go all the way to the daycare to pick up Aya, because she was dropped off, by the daycare staff.

Haruhi waited at the end of the street, when the bus pulled up, Aya bounded off the minibus, holding Uma-chan, with a big smile on her face. Aya could just about carry her bag, because she had gotten some souvenirs from the gift shop. She had gotten a teddy bear for Haruhi, the bear was wearing a tshirt, with a heart on it.

"Where did you get the bear from?" Haruhi asked, when Aya gave her the bear.

"Mori," Aya replied.

Haruhi gasped, she just knew that Aya must be talking about the Mori she knew. Her past really was catching up with her, Aya had met almost all of her old friends, in the last couple of days. As soon as they got into the apartment, Aya ran into the living room to draw on the wall. Haruhi made dinner, because she was sure that Aya would be hungry by now, and Haruhi was a little hungry. She made sashimi, tempura rice and some kayu. Aya finished her drawing her pictures on the wall, the first one was a bunch of circles that looked like a person wearing glasses, then a picture of some pink squiggles that looked like a bunny.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Wow! I'm so surprised that so many people reviewed, thank you so much. So, Mori won the vote on this one. That just leaves Kyoya for Aya to meet, and that's all the hosts, except Tamaki. I decided to go with a small little scene for Mori, because considering that he was the most quietest host, seemed right. I hope you like this chapter. :D


	8. Keeping A Brave Face

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, Bisco Hatori does.

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><p><strong>8<strong>

Keeping A Brave Face

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><p>When Haruhi returned home early, she did so with a heavy heart. She had gotten fired, through no fault of her own. Some of the lawyers had lost numerous cases, and had to trim the budget, so the last one in means the first one out. Haruhi had no idea what she could do, because the rent was due in a week, and her and Aya would end up homeless. She had collected Aya from day care, because now that she had no income, they had to tighten their belt, every yen was needed. There was some mail for her, so she picked them up, and checked each one: bills, some coupons for the supermarket, and a letter that looked suspiciously like Kyoya's handwriting. She opened the letter, and read it.<p>

_Dear Haruhi,_

_I knew showing up out of the blue would be something that you wouldn't want, I'm not sure whether writing to you is much better. Instead of just throwing this letter away, and moving on with your life, I hope you consider meeting with us. You'll have to tell him one day, no matter how much he hurt you._

_Sincerely,_

_Kyoya._

Haruhi placed the letter on the kitchen counter, she didn't know if she should respond. Meeting with the others would mean having to see Tamaki. She didn't know if she was ready for that yet, Tamaki had hurt her a lot. During lunch, Haruhi thought about contacting Kyoya, while she ate her soba noodles. A part of her wanted to, but at the same time, she didn't want to go through all that emotional pain again. Aya quite liked soba noodles, they were her favourite.

"Maa sad?" Aya asked. She could tell that something was wrong with her mum, because Haruhi hadn't really said much to her since she picked her up from day care.

"I'm fine, Aya, Sweetie," Haruhi said. She smiled, just to put on a brave face for Aya's sake.

Aya frowned, because she knew that Haruhi wasn't ok. Haruhi was that distracted, that she didn't notice that Aya had started to draw on the wall. All Haruhi could think of was money, because she had no idea how she could budget what little money they had left, and find the money for the rent. She looked at a photo of her dad, she knew that she couldn't ask him for money. But he would give it to her, if she asked him. Haruhi picked up the phone, but before she dialled, she put the phone down, she couldn't do it.

To take her mind of it, Haruhi took Aya out for a walk. They walked past the park, judging by the look of it, there was some kind of fashion fair going on.

"Maa! Go go!" Aya said, pointing at the fair.

"Of course!" Haruhi said, with a smile. Again, her smile was fake, but she didn't want Aya to know the truth.

Aya and Haruhi walked around the fair, looking at all the new designs, even though they couldn't buy anything. The whole time, Haruhi wished she could buy all of them for Aya, it made her feel guilty, because she couldn't get her daughter all those wonderful things. Surprisingly, there was a refreshment stand. Aya sat down on the bench, while Haruhi joined the line to buy them something to eat.

Hikaru and Kaoru was at the fair to, advertising their mother's latest designs. Their mother let them have a break, so they headed to the refreshment stand to get some water. Hikaru sat on the same bench as Aya while Kaoru got the drinks.

"Haruhi?" Kaoru said, when he saw Haruhi in the line in front of him.

Haruhi turned around, her eyes widened at the sight of Kaoru. "Kaoru?"

"What are you doing here?" Kaoru asked.

"I'm just looking around the fair with my..." Haruhi said. She stopped, because she realised that she almost blabbed about Aya.

Kaoru noticed that Haruhi said that she was with someone, he assumed that she was talking about a boyfriend or something. "Me and Kaoru are helping our mother with her booth."

"Why don't you go a head of me? I'm sure your mother wants you back sooner," Haruhi said. Truth was, she needed a couple of moments to compose herself, before she faced Aya.

"Haruhi... are you ok?" Kaoru said, noticing that there was something wrong with her.

"I'm fine," Haruhi lied.

"Are you sure?" Kaoru asked.

"No," Haruhi admitted.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No, I can handle it," Haruhi lied.

Both Haruhi brought some ice cream for her and Aya, and a bottle of water each. Kaoru got two bottles of water, and headed back to the bench with Haruhi, to meet up with Hikaru.

"Maa!" Aya shouted, when she saw Haruhi.

"Maa?" Hikaru and Kaoru said in unison. They looked at Aya, then at Haruhi.

Haruhi gave Aya one of the ice creams, because she couldn't say anything to Hikaru and Kaoru. The two of them were least likely to keep a secret, because the only ones they kept were their own. She just sat down next to Aya like it was nothing. The twins had their suspicions to who Aya's father was, but they had to try the sure fire way to find out.

"Let's play the Which One Is Hikaru Game!" Hikaru and Kaoru said in unison.

"Hikaa," Aya said, as she pointed at Hikaru. She then pointed at Kaoru, and said, "Kawu."

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other, there was no denying it, there was two people that could tell them apart before getting to know them, at that was Haruhi and Tamaki. Haruhi talked with the two of them, before taking Aya home. It was getting cold, and she should probably get started on dinner. As soon as they got into the apartment, Aya headed into the living room to continue her drawing. She was happy to see that her mother hadn't washed the picture off yet. Next to the picture of a person wearing glasses, and the pink bunny, she drew two identical orange squiggles.

Haruhi pretended like there was nothing wrong during dinner, she bathed Aya, and put her to bed. After that, she locked herself in the bathroom, and allowed herself to cry. For a moment, she considered calling Tamaki, and telling him about Aya, hoping that he would help care for Aya financially. She cast those thoughts out of her mind, she hadn't needed him yet, so why should she ask him for money now? Once she was done crying, she returned to the kitchen, then picked up the phone reciever, her hands trembled as she dialled the number.

"Hey, it's me," Haruhi said, when the other person answered the phone.

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><p><strong>AN**: Sorry for the slight delay, I'm not feeling too good. It's nothing major, just a head cold. It is really difficult for me to sit in front of a computer for too long. If I take a day or two longer to update, then that's why. It doesn't mean I've abandonned this story.

I have a question for all of you; would you like to see how Tamaki copes after he finds out the truth about Aya, and how it effects Haruhi and Aya? I was originally going to make this be a short story, and when Tamaki finds out, have it end there. But, now that I've started writing it, I want to write more, and see them trying to be a family. Let me know what you think.


	9. After The Phone Call

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, Bisco Hatori does.

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><p><strong>9<strong>

After The Phone Call

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><p>"We need to talk," Haruhi continued. "Could you meet me outside my apartment block?" Haruhi paused for a moment, to listen to their response. "Thanks, see you soon."<p>

Haruhi put the phone down, and took a deep breath. That was one of the hardest calls that she could possibly make, and it went against her own independence thing. She looked out of the window, until she saw a car pull up in the street below, all the windows were blacked out, she knew it was them. Haruhi headed out on the balcony, locking the door behind her, so make sure Aya was safe. She headed down the stairs, to meet them on the pavement. Haruhi had difficulty hiding her surprise, when Mori emerged from the car.

"I thought..." Haruhi began, but she stopped herself.

"Kyoya asked me to meet you, instead," Mori replied.

Haruhi accepted that, of course Kyoya would send Mori. Kyoya practically knew everything, he probably would have known that she had lost her job. Mori was a lawyer after all, and he could help her. Haruhi lead Mori up to the apartment, so they could speak in private.

"I suppose that Kyoya's told you why I need to speak with you," Haruhi assumed.

"Yes," Mori replied.

"He's still the shadow king..." Haruhi muttered. This made the both of them laugh. "I was going to ask Kyoya for a loan, and probably work it off, like I did at school. At least this time, I didn't break something expensive."

"What would make you ask for help like this?" Mori asked. He knew that Haruhi never asked for help from anyone, even when she was in danger. It must take something huge for her to ask for help.

Haruhi didn't say a word, she lead Mori to the living room door, and slid the door open, so some light flooded into the room. Aya could be seen asleep on her futon, she was cuddling Uma-chan. The light didn't wake her up, because she couldn't sleep without a night light. There was a lamp on, in the corner of the room. Haruhi then closed the door.

Mori smiled, he now knew why Haruhi hadn't been in contact with any of them for 3 years. He didn't know the full truth, but he knew who Aya's father was.

"I'll see what I can do," Mori replied.

Mori didn't stay for long, because it was getting late, and he knew that Haruhi needed to get some sleep. Haruhi laid awake on her futon for half the night, until she fell asleep at about 3am. She was worried about whether she had made the right decision, she wondered what could have happened, if she had called her father instead. First thing the next morning, after Haruhi had made breakfast for Aya, Haruhi didn't have a appetite to eat anything herself. She picked up the phone, and dialled her father's phone number. No one answered, so Haruhi hung up, she decided that her dad must still be at work, so he couldn't answer.

Aya had added something to the wall picture, that she happy her mother hadn't washed off yet. She added a picture of a tall man to the picture. It was from left to right: a man wearing glasses, a pink squiggle shaped like a bunny, two identical orange squiggles, and a tall man.

Haruhi looked around for her address book, it had Ryoji's work number is it. She dialled the number, and waited for someone to answer. A guy with a but of an attitude answered the phone, Haruhi wasn't surprised, because she knew that hardly anyone phoned them, except for family of the people who worked there.

"What do you want?" the guy demanded.

"Hello, Sir, is Ryoji still at work?" Haruhi said, politely.

"Don't know her," the guy snapped.

"I mean, Ranka," Haruhi said, correcting herself.

"Who is this?" the guy asked, he still sounded arrogant.

"Haruhi.." was all she had time to say, because he put her on hold.

"Haruhi! It's been too long, since you called me at work, Sweetie!" Ryoji said, when he answered the phone.

"Hi, Dad..." Haruhi said, her voice sounding less than happy. She actually wanted to cry, but couldn't knowing Aya was in the other room.

"What's wrong?" Ryoji asked. He knew something was wrong with her, because even when Haruhi was younger, he could always tell when Haruhi was upset about something.

"I got fired from my job..." Haruhi said, honestly. She knew that she didn't have to beat around the bush, with her own father.

"When is your rent due?" Ryoji asked.

"At the end of the week... but, I'm not asking you to pay it for me," Haruhi replied.

Ryoji paused for a moment, because someone was shouting in the background. "I got to get back to work, I'll come to your apartment straight after work," Ryoji said.

The father and daughter said good bye to each other, then hung up the phone. Haruhi returned to the living room, she saw that Aya hadn't really added much to the wall drawing, and she wasn't in the mood to clean it off. Aya was sat at the table, with Uma-chan placed next to her, there was a open book.

"What are you doing, Aya?" Haruhi asked. Haruhi sat down at the low table opposite her.

"Trying read," Aya replied.

"Would you like me to read it to you?" Haruhi asked.

Aya smiled, then handed the book to Haruhi, it made her happy, when her mother read to her. The book was called The Princess & The Pea, Aya liked this story. She liked every story that Haruhi read to her, especially the ones about princes and princesses. Aya clapped at the end of the story. It was almost lunch time when Ryoji arrived at the apartment, Haruhi had intentionally made enough food for him to join them. Neither one said anything in front of Aya, because they didn't want to upset her. Ryoji even volunteered to help Haruhi wash the dishes, to give them an excuse to talk. While Ryoji washed the plates, Haruhi dried them.

"Why didn't you call me yesterday?" Ryoji asked. He finished washing the plate, then passed it to Haruhi.

"Because, I thought I could cope," Haruhi replied. She dried the plate, then put it in the cupboard. "But, I can't. I don't know what I'm going to do... I couldn't like with myself, if Aya and I became homeless."

"You won't be homeless," Ryoji reassured. He scrubbed another plate, then passed it to Haruhi.

"Dad, I don't want your money," Haruhi replied, assuming that was what he was going to say. She dried the plate with a dry dish cloth, then put the plate in the cupboard.

"I'm not offering money," Ryoji said. He scrubbed the last plate, then handed it to her. "I'm asking you to move back in with me, that way, we can both take care of Aya. I do worry about you living here, so far from home."

"Are you sure?" Haruhi asked.

"Of course I'm sure!" Ryoji replied. There wasn't a single trace of doubt in his voice. He would love to have his daughter and granddaughter living with him.

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><p><strong>AN**: Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed, and thanks for letting me know what you think. I will continue this story, because I don't want it to finish so soon either.

Not much to say here, so, enjoy the chapter!


	10. Tamaki's Last Chance

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, Bisco Hatori does.

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><p><strong>10<strong>

Tamaki's Last Chance

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><p>Tamaki had been sulking in his room for two days, because he'd been unable to find Haruhi. He'd searched every law firm in Japan, but couldn't find her. When that didn't work, he checked every commoner's supermarket. It really did show how little he knew her, to think that would be a good idea. There was a knock on his bedroom door, but he promptly ignored it. He had hoped that they would go away, but no such luck. Hikaru and Kaoru walked into the room, followed by Honey, Mori and Kyoya.<p>

"Hey Boss, wake up!" Hikaru said.

"We're supposed to see a show," Kaoru said.

"Go away!" Tamaki snapped.

Tamaki yelled out with both shock and pain, when Hikaru and Kaoru jumped on the bed. "Leave me alone!" Tamaki shouted, as he tried to shove them off the bed.

"Not going to happen," Hikaru and Kaoru said, in unison.

"Yeah, Tama-chan, it would be fun, to go see a show," Honey said. Honey looked at Tamaki with concern, they were all worried about him.

"Tamaki, Haruhi is fine," Mori said. He realised that keeping the secret from him was the worst idea, and he did feel guilty that he hadn't said anything sooner.

"She is?" Tamaki asked. He peeped his head out of the duvet.

The five of them looked of each other, they didn't know whether they should tell him about Aya or not. Kyoya opened his black book, then wrote Haruhi's address on a page, then tore it out.

"This is Haruhi's address, she's moving out today, go see her, while you still can," Kyoya said, as he handed Tamaki the peice of paper.

Tamaki jumped out of his bed, he clutched the paper in his hand, looking at it like a child would if they were given a large lollipop. He could finally see Haruhi again, that made him so happy that words couldn't describe just how happy he was. Even after the past three years, Tamaki hadn't stopped loving her. To him, she was the love of his life, and a part of him hoped that she felt the same.

...

Haruhi and Ryoji had spent the last week packing Haruhi's possessions, to prepare for the move. Most of her larger furniture would go into storage, until she could find a place close to where Ryoji lived. He did want to keep his daughter and granddaughter close, because he did worry about them. Aya didn't completely understand what was going on, but she enjoyed playing with the boxes, like it was her own fort or something.

"Dad, how am I going to get he smaller boxes to your apartment?" Haruhi asked, as she folded some of Aya's clothes and put them in a box.

"That's no problem, I borrowed a friend from work's car," Ryoji replied. He was putting the books on the book shelf into a box. "And, it's our apartment."

"It's going to be so weird, living at home again," Haruhi admitted. She heard the phone ringing. "Dad, could you get that?" Haruhi was packing some of the clothes right at the back of the closet.

Ryoji walked into the kitchen, and picked up the phone. "Hello, Fujioka residence," Ryoji said, when she answered the phone.

"Hello, it's Kyoya, is Haruhi there?" Kyoya asked.

"Hello Kyoya! I'm afraid she's busy right now, could I take a message?" Ryoji replied.

Kyoya paused for a moment, then said, "Ranka, Tamaki is on his way over there. We thought he deserved to know the truth."

"We'll see about that!" Ranka said, angrily. He slammed the phone down. He had no intention of letting Tamaki anywhere near Haruhi or Aya.

It was near lunch time, so Haruhi walked into the kitchen, to make lunch. Ryoji was organising all the boxes, while Aya messed up one of the clothes boxes. She'd pulled it over, and was now putting on random articles of clothes.

...

Tamaki had gotten dressed, faster than he normally would. He wanted to find Haruhi, as soon as possible. In his haste, he'd ran out of the Suou estate, without a car. He through the streets, until he got so tired, he had to stop, to get his breath back. A limo pulled up near him, and a very amused Kyoya emerged from the back.

"This limo will take you to her apartment," Kyoya said, barely concealing how much he wanted to laugh at Tamaki's stupidity.

Tamaki's cheeks flush pink, as he climbed into the car. When it came to his love for Haruhi, he could be irrational. Everyone else was in there, Honey and Mori for support, and Hikaru and Kaoru just because they wanted to watch Tamaki make a fool of himself. Kyoya climbed back into the limo, and shut the door.

"How long have you been following me?" Tamaki asked, awkwardly.

"The whole time," Hikaru and Kaoru informed him.

Tamaki didn't say a word, for the rest of the car ride there, he was too embarrassed. There was so many questions floating around in his head, like; _"How much has Haruhi changed? Did she miss him? Did she still love him?" _or even, _"Did she still remember him?"_

When the limo pulled up outside the apartment block, Tamaki was first out of the car, he ran up the stairs, it didn't take long to find Haruhi's apartment, because he checked the the piece of paper, that Kyoya had given him. He knocked on the door, so nervous that his palms were sweating. Haruhi answered the door, the smile vanished off her face, faster than it had appeared. She tried to slam the door in his face, but he held out his hand to stop her.

"Haruhi... please..." Tamaki pleaded. All he wanted was to see her again, and explain everything.

"Go away!" Haruhi yelled, as she tried to slam the door again.

The other host club boys had caught up with Tamaki, none of them where surprised by Haruhi's reaction to seeing Tamaki, considering the situation with Aya.

"Haruhi, he deserves to know," Kyoya told her.

Haruhi admitted defeat, and opened the door. "I know..." Haruhi said, finishing with a sign. "Fine come in, but can the rest of you go help my dad pack?"

Kyoya, Honey, Mori, Hikaru and Kaoru headed into the living room, to help with the packing, to give Haruhi and Tamaki some privacy. Haruhi allowed Tamaki to enter the apartment, even though she was angry at him for what he had done, that didn't stop all the feelings she had for him, from rushing back. She was still in love with him.

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><p><strong>AN**: Sorry for the delay with this chapter, I've been so busy, and just when I was feeling better, I got ill all over again... D: So, hopefully, I'll be able to continue updating this daily *fingers crossed.* Thank you so much, to everyone that reveiwed, and a thank you to everyone reading this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter. ^_^


	11. A Different Spell

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, Bisco Hatori does.

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><p><strong>11<strong>

A Different Spell

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><p>In those few moments of silence, before either one of them spoke, Tamaki wanted to hug and kiss Haruhi, but he knew that she would probably push him away. He didn't know for sure what he had done, but he knew that he must of been something bad, for her to treat him this way.<p>

"Haruhi, I'm sorry," Tamaki said. He didn't know what he was apologising for, but he knew that he had to clear the air.

"You don't even know what you are apologising for, Senpai," Haruhi accused.

Just hearing the word 'senpai' flow from her lips, hit Tamaki like a dagger through the heart. "Haruhi..." he yelped.

"I saw you," Haruhi informed him. "In that room, with her!"

"It wasn't like that..." Tamaki protested.

"Then what was it like, then?" Haruhi demanded. "Thought you'd date me, until something better came along?"

"No!" Tamaki said, firmly.

"Senpai, you were proposing to some girl!" Haruhi accused. Her upset over that night was starting to get to her, she felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Ryoji had been stood in the door way, he could see how much pain Haruhi was going through, even though she'd never out right tell him, it wasn't her way after all. He didn't want to hurt his daughter further, so he cleared his throat, to make his presence known to both Tamaki and Haruhi.

"Actually, he wasn't.." Ryoji said, walking towards the two. "Well, he better not have been!" he added, glaring at Tamaki. He then continued explaining, in a calm voice. "A week before that party, he came to the apartment, and asked for my permission, for him to marry you. As long as he made you happy, I approve."

"But... that girl?" Haruhi asked. It didn't make sense to her, if he was going to propose to her, then why was he proposing to someone else?

"Father wanted me to marry her, but I told him no. I wanted to marry you, no matter what he said. The girl asked me about you, and I told her that I had planned to propose to you tonight, and showed her the ring," Tamaki explained.

It all in some weird way made sense now, even though Haruhi was filled with guilt for depriving Aya of a father, just because of a miss understanding. Haruhi decided that she wasn't going to make Aya wait another minute longer.

"There is someone you should meet," Haruhi said, leading him into the other room.

Aya was drawing on the wall again, a teddy bear next to the other five pictures. She looked over at the man that thanks to Kyoya, she knew was her father, and smiled at him. Kyoya had told Aya all about him, and said that he was in the other room, and soon he would come to meet her. Aya ran towards her father, her arms out, and was swept up into a hug by Tamaki.

"Why do I have a feeling, that you planned this all along?" Haruhi asked Kyoya, whom was watching the scene with the slightest of smiles.

A glint of light flashed across Kyoya's glasses, as he pushed them further up his nose. "That is a intriguing notion, in it's own way," Kyoya said.

"You knew that I'd ask for my father's help, so you could set up this whole thing," Haruhi said, even though he'd as good as given her an answer.

"Daa!" Aya said, wrapping her arms around Tamaki's neck.

"Um..." Tamaki said, not knowing her name.

"Aya," Ryoji whispered. He may have told Tamaki her name, but that didn't mean that he liked Tamaki at all. He was now a double threat, that could take both Haruhi and Aya from him.

"Aya!" Tamaki said, giving the little girl a gentle squeeze.

_"And, there it was, the whole family was back together. This time, there was a different spell, one that kept us in each other's lives, but a part of it that will always change. We were still a part of the family, even though there was a real one with in the group."_

* * *

><p>Six Months Later...<p>

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><p>"Will you hurry up? The party begins in thirty minutes, and you can't be late for your own daughter's third birthday party!" Kyoya yelled from the limo, as Tamaki dashed out the front gates of the Suou estate, carrying his present.<p>

"I had to make sure the bow was tied right!" Tamaki said, in his own defence. Not that it made much difference. He climbed into the car, joining Kyoya, Mori, Kaoru, Hikaru and Honey.

All six of them had taken a day off work, just for Aya's birthday party, none of them would miss it for the world. They were going to the park, there was supposed to be a performance, with Benio Amakusa as the lead. Even though none of them liked her, Aya had grown into quite the Benio fan, so they had to deal with it for her sake.

When the car pulled up near the gates of the park, Haruhi, Aya and Ryoji was waiting for them. Haruhi smiled at Tamaki, as the boys climbed out of the limo, with their presents in hand. They hadn't began dating again yet, because they had both decided to focus on Aya first, there was a lot of lost time to make up for.

"Glad you could make it," Ryoji said, to each of the guys. He glared at Tamaki though, and ignored him.

"Let's go in, Benio has delayed the show long enough," Haruhi said.

Mori held Tamaki's present for him, so Aya could hold both her mother and father's hand, as they found a place to sit near the front. It was a open air theatre, where the audience would either sit on blankets or the grass. The performance was called "The Magic of the Maiden's Wish", a show Benio, Chizuru and Hinoku had thrown together, especially for today. Haruhi was surprised that they would go to so much effort to put on something great for Aya's birthday, even though she had only given them three months notice.

Haruhi, Ryoji and Tamaki laid out the three blankets that Ryoji and Haruhi had brought with them. Tamaki was only doing it, to score points with Ryoji, to show that he was a good guy. But, Ryoji wasn't fooled by his act. They sat down, and the show began, starting with Benio stood in the center of the stage, describing a maiden of pure beauty.

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><p><strong>AN**: I'm so so sorry for taking so long with this story, it took ages for me to make this chapter any good, because there was always something that I didn't like about each version, then I had total writers block, then I started writing for different genres to mix it up... long story short, here's a new chapter! I hope you enjoy this one, and thank you so much to everyone for being patiant with me.


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